During the “IQPC International Fighter Conference 2022” Commander Benjamin Souberbielle, Deputy Chief of the Operations Group of the FCAS (Future Combat Air System) program, stated that from 2030 onwards the Rafale will be equipped with the ability to suppress/destroy enemy air defenses.
As Souberbielle stated the Ukraine conflict demonstrated the importance of suppressing/destroying enemy air defenses and that this capability will be incorporated into the Rafale in two phases:
“Suppression of enemy air defenses will be a major requirement and we want to add that to the Rafale in 2030, through weapons based on velocity and saturation,” Souberbielle said.
